The weekend always passes quickly.
When Monday morning arrived, sunlight streamed through the windows into the dormitory, replacing the alarm clock to wake up Kael.
Mikel and Ryan were still sound asleep, their slow, even breaths were the only sounds, and Kael quietly dressed and left the dormitory without waking them.
On his way to the auditorium, he ran into Filch.
After the events of last year, the castle caretaker seemed like a completely different person, entirely lacking the previous overbearing attitude that made him wish to drag every student breaking school rules to the dungeon. Instead, he had become timid and cautious.
Seeing people, his first reaction wasn't to enforce his duties but to instinctively hide behind a piece of armor. Only after recognizing Kael did he reemerge.
It seemed he had quite a scare before being knocked unconscious by Barty Crouch Jr.
But there was a silver lining, at least Hogwarts students no longer had to worry about being reprimanded for speaking too loudly.
The first class in the morning was Defence Against the Dark Arts.
After finishing breakfast, Kael headed to the classroom with Conna.
Initially, Conna was worried Kael might continue clashing with Umbridge as he did last class.
Although she disliked Umbridge too, after all, she was a professor, and it wouldn't be advantageous for a student to oppose her.
However, to Conna's surprise, Kael remained quiet the entire class, and even Professor Umbridge seemed to have completely forgotten about the previous incidents.
This undoubtedly relieved Conna.
Conversely, some students hoping for drama were quite disappointed.
This class, paired with Hufflepuff, was attended by Slytherins, who upon hearing about Kael's dramatic exit last time, were eagerly awaiting today to witness the spectacle firsthand.
The new Defence Against the Dark Arts was too dull, always reading and taking notes, so there needed to be some amusement.
Nevertheless, the class was unexpectedly normal, and even more incredible was that near the class end, Professor Umbridge awarded Hufflepuff five points for Kael's answer to a question.
This made some begin to doubt the "dramatic exit" rumor, wondering if Hufflepuff and Gryffindor had spread it just to tease them.
They felt the class was no different from before, all equally boring. The only distinction seemed to be Umbridge's new habit, occasionally rubbing the back of her hand, whether injured or for some other reason.
...
After Defence Against the Dark Arts was the advanced Potion Class.
This class was slightly larger than Transfiguration Class, with sixteen people, half of whom were Slytherins.
Kael doubted all their O.W.L. scores met the requirements, as he knew a bit about Slytherin, once his major clients.
Many had average potion skills, not poor, but certainly not excellent.
Yet here they were, clearly showing Snape's bias remained as steady as ever.
The dungeon classroom remained as cold as always.
Snape's expression was equally cold, looking worse than usual, somewhat pale, with sunken eyes, indicating sleepless nights.
Two Ravenclaw students were about to sit together when Snape suddenly intervened.
"Sit separately," he said coldly. "You don't expect to complete a potion together at an advanced level, do you? If you can't create a potion alone, you better leave now."
One Ravenclaw quickly moved forward to another table.
The rest also scattered, finding individual desks.
Although the dungeon space and cauldron supply were limited, the smaller class meant every student had their own cauldron.
"Advanced Class," Snape began in his emotionless voice, "You've all been chosen as my finest students…"
Here, Snape paused, glancing intentionally or unintentionally at Kael in the corner.
"However…," but he soon diverted his gaze, continuing, "I expect corresponding capability from you,
"My expectations will be stringent; I don't wish to see any foolish mistakes in my class, or I will… get very angry."
His gaze swept the room.
Hearing this, the Slytherins immediately straightened up, raising their heads as if eager to prove their excellence.
But Snape didn't look at them.
"Today, we'll be brewing the simplest potion from 'Advanced Potion Making,' the Draught of Living Death.
"Does anyone know what the Draught of Living Death is?"
Nearly everyone raised their hands.
Predictably, Snape chose Conna.
"The Draught of Living Death, also known as Draught of the Living Death, is a potent hypnotic potion, capable of inducing sleep within a minute."
"Technically, in half a minute," Snape corrected, "However, that answer is good. Five points to Hufflepuff."
Others had grown accustomed to Snape awarding points to Conna.
"Although it's the simplest potion in 'Advanced Potion Making,' it's more complex than anything you've done previously."
Snape tapped the blackboard with his wand, causing necessary materials and procedures to appear instantly.
Kael was not unfamiliar with the Draught of Living Death, having brewed it years ago, also in Potion Class.
However, this time, the blackboard instructions slightly differed from his knowledge.
In Snape's old book, Valerian Root and Lionfish Bone Powder were retained, but they were now crossed out, replaced by sun-dried Belladonna Flowers.
Replacing two ingredients with one certainly seemed simpler, especially since Belladonna Flowers were easier to handle—just grind them slightly and toss them into the cauldron with no special instructions.
Kael gathered his materials and followed the blackboard steps meticulously; halfway through the class, the potion in his cauldron transformed into the standard "well-blended tawny liquid."
Conna had also achieved this stage.
Besides the two of them, the others' potions were either too dark or uneven in color, falling short of the standard.
"Valerian Root sliced unevenly…"
"Who told you to throw in the whole Belladonna Flower…"
"Stirred half a turn too few…"
Snape patrolled the room, unhesitant in pointing out every mistake.
However, he never once stopped by Kael's table, as if he didn't exist.
Snape paused beside a Gryffindor student, frowning at the potion, about to speak, when someone pushed open the dungeon door.
Kael was about to turn to see who it was when a sickly sweet voice provided the answer.
"Professor Snape, I hope I'm not interrupting," cooed Umbridge from the doorway.
Snape's eye twitched; entering during class—did that even need a response?
However, after a moment of hesitation, Snape opted not to speak harshly: "Professor Umbridge, is there something you need?"
Umbridge glanced at the students, suggesting, "Shall we speak outside?"
Snape nodded, walking out.
Upon his return, Snape's complexion worsened, as though he had lost money, muttering phrases like "Why not go to the Hospital Wing… I'm not a Healer."
In the remaining half of the class, everyone tread carefully, avoiding any mistake that might anger Snape…
Another half-hour passed this way.
"Time's up," Snape announced loudly. "Everyone, put down your wands, cease stirring."
He moved between desks, inspecting each cauldron.
Kael glanced around; following Snape's blackboard steps, everyone's potion had turned a light pink after stirring.
Although the color varied slightly, deeper or paler hues indicating minor issues, it did not affect the potion's normal use.
Snape moved through the room, no hesitation in pointing out errors, seemingly unconcerned that succeeding on the first try with a complex Draught of Living Death might be laudable, instead deeming it expected.
If they couldn't succeed following his instructions, he'd see no reason to remain.
Soon, Snape reached Kael.
As before, Kael's potion was flawless.
"Not bad." Snape's voice sounded as if forced through his throat,
"One point to Hufflepuff."